Cross-Country Races to Finish

The Santa Clara men and women’s cross-country teams took part in the Stanford Invitational on Saturday. Senior Ben Demaree highlighted the Bronco’s success. The next time the Broncos will lace up their racing shoes will be Oct. 11 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Courtesy of Santa Clara Athletics Department

The Bronco cross-country teams took a trip up north this weekend to participate in the 40th annual Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. The Santa Clara men finished in fifth place while the women’s team came in eighth.

Over 2,800 high school and 500 collegiate runners competed in 14 races Saturday morning. Stanford University swept its own meet and won both the men’s 8K race and women’s 6K race.

After a strong start to the season, both cross-country squads ended in good standing after Saturday’s races.

“Both the men’s and women’s teams had some solid individual performances,” said Head Coach Felipe Montoro in an email.

However, Montoro was not completely satisfied with the the runner’s performances.

“Both teams executed some parts of our race plan very well, but we still have things to improve upon as we continue through the season,” he said. “The next three weeks will be very important in preparing for the (West Coast Conference) Championships.”

After two weeks off to start school and focus on training, the Broncos hit the ground running.

Leading the Broncos in the men’s 8K race was senior Ben Demaree. Coming off a calf injury last season, Demaree finished in 35th place with a time of 25:52.

“(Demaree) was impressive.,” said Montoro. “He has not had the smoothest last few years dealing with injuries, but he has kept a great attitude and really embraced the changes we have had to make in his training to stay healthy. Another month of training will make a big difference in Demaree’s ability to perform at a high level in the postseason.”

Seniors Luca Signore and Moises Venegas finished in 55th and 70th, respectively. Sophomore Sam Holeman finished in 89th place with a time of 26:33. The Santa Clara men’s team placed fifth overall.

Holeman had a strong start to the season, finishing first overall for the men at the WCC Preview Meet in Malibu, Calif.

Signore is also doing well, finishing first in the men’s Santa Clara versus St. Mary’s College dual meet on Sept. 6.

Not to be outdone, the women’s team also placed well in their 6K race.

Junior Mary Kriege’s momentum from the WCC preview meet on Sept. 14 carried over into Saturday. She led the way for the women, finishing in 24th place with a time of 22:18.

“(Kriege’s) performance really stood out today as well,” said Montoro. “She got a late start this season in her training, but is still way ahead of where she was last year. It will be exciting for our team to see how much more she can improve over the next month.”

Senior Lauren Germany finished in 36th place while juniors Audrey Hiatt and Emily Robinson came in 76th and 92nd place, respectively. Junior Kelly Ryan came in 122nd place with a time of 23:53, helping Santa Clara finish in eighth place overall.

Both Santa Clara teams are not strangers to challenges such as injuries and fierce competition.

“There is always some element of adversity that runners have to deal with in races,” Montero said. “We do our best to prepare our athletes for any scenario.”

The Santa Clara Broncos faced, among many competitive opponents, the No. 20 Stanford University men’s team and No. 8 Stanford women’s team.

Stanford proved best in their own meet, sweeping both the men and women’s race.

The Bronco men’s team defeated the University of San Diego and Pepperdine University while the women’s team topped Pepperdine and St. Mary’s.

Santa Clara will race in two more invitational meets before the WCC Championships take place in early November.

“Our next race is in Golden Gate Park and we are looking forward to it,” said Montero.

The Santa Clara Broncos will race in the upcoming San Francisco State Invitational on Oct. 11.